Adelaide

To me, good jewellery is like a suit of armour and can boost one’s confidence, allowing us to conquer our fears.

Natalie Barney is The Green Queen. Diamond Queen. And Gemstone Queen.

Why?

I’ll tell you why. She is the queen of diamonds, pearls and gemstones, especially anything green.

Natalie Barney is one of Sydney’s fine jewellers. A lover of jewellery. A connoisseur of fine diamonds, excellence in workmanship, brightly coloured gemstones and the most beautiful of the beautiful. Her love of coloured gemstones is perhaps the greatest thing that most sets her apart from her contemporaries.

Her love of anything green, has earned her the name of The Green Queen. If you are asking yourself what gemstones are green? Let me help you out. Emerald, Peridot, Sapphire, Beryl, Green Quartz, Jade, Demantoid Garmet, Tsavorite Garnet, Chrysoprase, and her favourite of favourites the beautiful Tourmaline.

Natalie is a gemmologist, a jewellery designer, a retailer, and has had a lifelong love affair of jewels, since her childhood in France.

I recently met Natalie at her Sydney retail boudoir and was taken by her warmth, sincerity and her gentle loveliness, topped off by her charming French accent and European nuances. Here is her story … oh, and if you are in the market for some amazing jewellery, trust me.

The Green Queen is your girl.

Until next time,

Jade xx

Finding coloured gemstones is like falling in love … when you find the one, you just have to buy it as one can’t be sure that you will find exactly the same one again!

LM

I believe you were born in France? How did you come to move to Australia?

NB

I moved from France to England at 21. I moved there straight after attending university. I had always loved the English, their eccentricity and sharp sense of humour. I met and married my husband there, and we moved to the Netherlands and lived there for almost five years. We then made the decision to experience living outside of Europe and my husband found a job in Australia … interesting as he is half Australian … we fell in love with Sydney and a few children later we call Australia home!

Recently, I caught up with Cimon Vozzo, Fashion Editor of the Sunday Mail in Adelaide, Adelaidean stylist and fashion blogger whilst she was visiting Sydney for the recent launch of the spring collection at David Jones.

We chatted about Australian fashion designers, styling, the emerging fashion market, and what we hope for, for the future.

Adelaide fashion is something that is growing fast and many labels that we know and love were born in South Australia. Cameo, Finders Keepers, and The Fifth just to name a few. It is so encouraging for me to see that wonderful emerging designers and more established designers are finding their way into our major department stores and speaking to the broader population no matter where they have been birthed. As a nation, we are now being recognised in a significant way on the global stage of the fashion community and I believe we will continue to witness continued growth. Next time you are browsing through David Jones, take a look for yourself.

Who cares about where the labels are developed? Talent is everywhere!

I for one want to see each and every state in Australia contributing to our wonderful fashion industry which I am totally in love with, as you all know!

We are all Australian gals, wearing fabulous Australian labels, and I want to see more of it!

We should celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate again, the phenomenal talent we have on our doorstep.

Good on you Adelaide … can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

I asked Cimon some things that I felt curious about.

LM

What do you see as the differences between Sydney and Adelaide fashion?

CV

People in Sydney are more adventurous, less conservative, more fashion evolved and not afraid to take risks.

LM

What changes would you like to see around Australian fashion?

CV

I would love for things to be made in Australia. Design wise I tend to like the way the Europeans use colour, and I am a fan for a little bit of glamour and dressing up! I would love to see more of this in Australian design.